unseen
Do you believe in angels? Some might not. Some might believe instead that loved ones who've passed can sometimes provide a little help from the other side. Regardless of one's personal beliefs and labels, it's hard to argue with occurrences that happen to us that would seem to offer no logical explanation.
Two occurrences in my life come quickly to mind when thinking about this topic. One occurred when I was living in San Francisco. My Victorian apartment was one block from the bus stop. Even so, it was always a mad dash to catch the bus because I'm perenially running late on workday mornings. I hurried from my third-floor apartment and in the middle of the next block, I was stopped by a man with a clipboard. He said he was seeking donations for a community center in my neighborhood (a place I was familiar with but had never been to or supported in any way). I was very irritated at him for trying to converse with me when I was clearly in a hurry. But then a moment of compassion washed over me and I took a breath, gave him a smile and reached into my bag for a five-dollar bill. He thanked me and said, "God bless you" and we parted. I hadn't taken more than a few steps when I turned around to thank him for making me stop to talk to him, because I felt so much better after our encounter. But he was gone. Like a character in a movie, I stood on the sidewalk and turned in every direction, trying to locate him. It was't even 8 a.m.--no shops on that block were open yet. There were no doorways he could have ducked into. He wasn't across the street in the empty supermarket parking lot. There hadn't been enough time for him to round the corner onto the side street. He had vanished. To this day (15 years later) that moment lives vividly in my mind and heart. Believe what you will about that encounter, but I know what the ramifications of it have been in my life. And I'm still grateful for it.
The second event happened at a rest area on I-5 in the middle of Oregon. It was evening (after nightfall). I was driving from Portland down to my folks' house in Northern California. I had an old funky car, but it ran most of the time without a hitch. The rest area was packed. I used the facilities and when I returned to my car, it wouldn't start. Nothing. Dead as a doornail. I had very little money on me, no credit cards and no AAA. I was stunned first (because the car hadn't given any sign of a weakening battery or any other problem) and panicked second (what the hell was I going to do?) I stepped out of the car and saw that a tow truck had just pulled in a couple of spaces over from me. I went over to the driver and asked what it might cost me to have him jump my car (thinking it was probably going to cost me far more than the pittance I had on me...you'd be surprised what extensive road trips I've taken with very little in the way of funds.) I don't know if he was just kindly by nature or felt sorry for a woman traveling alone and stuck at a dark rest area out in the middle of nowhere or what, but he said he would help me. He gave me a jump (after the space next to me had vacated) and told me there'd be no charge. It was all I could do not to burst into tears. I vowed (to myself) to not stop again during the three or four hours of driving I had left. It was only after I was several miles down the road when it hit me: the tow truck hadn't been there when I entered the restroom...what the hell were the odds that a non-charging tow truck driver would show up moments later when I needed him? I didn't question it, I just accepted it...and drove. 
posted by Marilyn @ 7:59 AM
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